Drapery pleater hook



Dec. 21, 1965 K. F. SONNTAG 3,224,057

DRAPERY PLEATER HOOK Filed May 26. 1964 INVENTOR. Karl F Sonntag.

United States Patent 3,224,057 DRAPERY PLEATER HOOK Karl F. Sonutag, Middlebury, Conn., assiguor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 26, 1964, Ser. No. 370,230 2 Claims. (Cl. 2484) This invention is an improved four-finger pleater hook for use with a drape having a plurality of pockets at the upper end thereof, the pockets being open at their lower ends. It is an improvement upon the four-finger pleater hook of the Solomon Patent 2,558,467.

In the forming of a French pleat by the hook of the Solomon patent, the result presented three forwardly projecting folds rather widely spaced apart. The improved hook of this invention also forms a French pleat with three forwardly projecting folds, but the middle fold is spaced behind the fold at either side so that it is partially concealed thereby, and results in a narrower and neater appearance of the French pleats. The resulting pleat may also be described as firmer so as to resist distortion in opening and closing a pair of drapes.

Other constructions which have bends in the fingers are designed to pinch or move the outer folds forwardly of the center folds, but the present invention accomplishes generally the same result without resort to the bends in the fingers. Thus, the improved construction is easier to manufacture, and is easier to insert into the pockets.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of my improved pleater hook as seen from the rear;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of the same hook;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear elevation view of my improved hook, on a larger scale, as applied in the pocket of a drape;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section on line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a front view of a French pleat as formed by my improved hook.

The device is formed essentially of three pieces of wire welded together. First, there is a U-shaped wire providing a pair of vertical straight fingers 8 and 9 which are closely spaced; second, there is another U-shaped wire providing a pair of more widely spaced vertical fingers 10 and 11 which are also generally straight and disposed in a vertical plane. The third piece is a supporting hook, also made of wire, and having a rearwardly extending bight portion 12 and a shank 13 which is substantially shorter than either pair of fingers.

The bottom end of the shank 13 is bent forwardly at right angles to provide an angular projection 14 extending below the outer or more widely spaced pair of fingers.

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This hook with its shank portion, is located cent-rally of the pairs of fingers and is welded to both pairs at their bottom rounded ends. The inner or more narrowly spaced fingers 8 and 9 are welded near the corner 15 of the shank while the more widely spaced Pair of fingers is welded adjacent the end of the angular projection 14.

The outer pair of fingers 10 and 11 is disposed in a plane substantially forwardly of the plane of the inner fingers 8 and 9. The result of this construction in the making of the pleat is more clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Here the outer fingers have been inserted in pockets 16 and 17 while the inner fingers are in place in pockets 18 and 19. This produces three forwardly projecting folds, the outer folds being designated 20 and 21, and the inner fold 22. This inner fold is not only shorter than the outer folds, but is held rearwardly by the fingers 8 and 9 so that the outer folds tend to lap over it and conceal it.

The term U-shaped as applied to the finger members is intended to cover not only round bottoms, but also angular or square bottoms.

What I claim is:

1. A four-finger pleater hook for use with a drape having a plurality of pockets at the upper end thereof, the pockets being open at their lower ends, which comprises (a) a U-shaped wire providing a pair of veirtical closely spaced and generally straight fingers;

! (b) a second U-shaped wire providing a second pair of more widely spaced and generally straight vertical fingers;

(c) the plane of said more widely spaced fingers being a substantial distance forward of the plane of said closely spaced fingers; and

(d) a rearwardly projecting supporting hook having a shank portion which is shorter than either of said pairs of fingers, said shank portion being bent forwardly at its bottom end into the plane of the widely placed pair of fingers and being welded to both pairs of fingers.

2. A four-finger pleater hook as defined in claim 1 wherein said forwardly bent shank portion extends at right angles to said fingers and wherein said first U-shaped wire is welded to the shank of the hook closely adjacent the upright portion of said shank while the second U-shaped wire is welded to said right angle forward projection at a substantial distance away from said first-mentioned weld.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,558,467 6/ 1951 Solomon 348 2,864,442 12/ 1958 Murgolo 160348 3,013,247 9/ 1963 Rosenzweig 160348 WILLIAM F,- FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOUR-FINGER PLEATER HOOK FOR USE WITH A DRAPE HAVING A PLURALITY OF POCKETS AT THE UPPER END THEREOF, THE POCKETS BEING OPEN AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, WHICH COMPRISES (A) A U-SHAPED WIRE PROVIDING A PAIR OF VERTICAL CLOSELY SPACED AND GENERALLY STRAIGHT FINGERS; (B) A SECOND U-SHAPED WIRE PROVIDING A SECOND PAIR OF MORE WIDELY SPACED AND GENERALLY STRAIGHT VERTICAL FINGERS, (C) THE PLANE OF SAID MORE WIDELY SPACED FINGERS BEING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FORWARD OF THE PLANE OF SAID CLOSELY SPACED FINGERS; AND (D) A REARWARDLY PROJECTING SUPPORTING HOOK HAVING A SHANK PORTION WHICH IS SHORTER THAN EITHER OF SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS, SAID SHANK PORTION BEING BENT FORWARDLY AT ITS BOTTOM END INTO THE PLANE OF THE WIDELY PLACED PAIR OF FINGERS AND BEING WELDED TO BOTH PAIRS OF FINGERS. 